US right-wing influencers launched a coordinated disinformation campaign targeting New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, falsely linking him to the militant Islamic State (IS) group. According to researchers, the fabricated narrative spread rapidly on social media, amassing millions of views within hours.
False IS statement goes viral
The misinformation centred on a fake IS communique titled “Operation Manhattan Project”, which referenced an alleged Election Day attack in New York City. The bogus letter was circulated by anti-Mamdani accounts on X — the platform owned by Elon Musk — despite having no connection to the militant group.
Researchers later confirmed that the statement was fabricated and bore no resemblance to official IS communications.
Influencers push baseless claims
Among those amplifying the disinformation was conservative influencer Laura Loomer, known for her close ties to Donald Trump. Loomer linked the fake letter to Mamdani’s historic victory, writing:
“The Muslims can’t think of a better way for the Muslims to celebrate the victory of a Muslim mayoral candidate today than by committing an ISIS attack in NYC.”
Her post alone garnered more than 200,000 views, while other conservative accounts falsely claimed that IS had endorsed Mamdani for mayor. Collectively, the posts reached millions.
Researchers: The communique is fake
Disinformation watchdog NewsGuard, along with multiple academics, confirmed the letter was fabricated.
American University researcher Meili Criezis noted that Amaq News Agency — whose logo was used in the fake screenshot — does not issue threats of this nature.
“Amaq is used to share news and claim responsibility for attacks,” Criezis said. “It doesn’t make threats like what is stated in the screenshot.”
Similarly, the Information Epidemiology Lab reported that the document diverged sharply from authentic IS media practices in its language, structure, formatting, and distribution.
The fake statement is believed to have first emerged on 4chan, a forum notorious for hoaxes and conspiracy theories.
Mamdani faces racist tropes amid historic victory
Zohran Mamdani — the first Muslim and South Asian leader elected to govern America’s largest city — secured a decisive win this week despite a wave of attacks targeting his religion, heritage, and political positions. A vocal advocate for Palestinian rights, Mamdani has consistently spoken out against both anti-Semitism and the Islamophobia he has faced since the aftermath of 9/11.
The 34-year-old state legislator ran on a platform focused on tackling New York’s rising cost of living, but his campaign was repeatedly disrupted by racist smears and misleading online narratives.
In the lead-up to the election, AFP fact-checkers debunked several viral falsehoods aimed at discrediting him — including claims that a non-citizen illegally voted for him, and accusations involving a campaign staffer posing with Nazi graffiti.
Researchers warn that the disinformation campaign targeting Mamdani reflects a growing trend of extremist online groups weaponizing fabricated threats to influence US political discourse.
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